Shore



Novf 10, 1931. y

SHORE Filed May 3l. 1930 A. H. SYMONS Patented Nov. 1o, 1931v UNITED STATESg rATENTjoFFlCE,

ARTHUR Ir. sYMoNs, or RIVER` FOREST, ILLINoIs, AssIeNon To sYMoNs CLAMr ai MFG. COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, A conoIiATIoN or DELAWARE 'SHORE l Application inea May 31,

The present invention relates generally to shores which are designed primarily for use in building construction and are adjustable vertically so that the head or upper ends 5y thereoiI may be positioned at the proper elevation to support the work or load. More particularly the invention relates to that type of shore which comprises a pair of longitudinally aligned and adjustable struts and locking mechanism for securing the struts in their various adjusted positions, and in which the locking mechanismis associated with a one-piece cast metal housing at the lower end of the upper strut and consists of v 1) a lock-element which embodies a downwardly flared cam and is adapted to'slide lengthwise of and cooperate with alongitudinal series of notches in the lower strut, and (2) a horizontally movable wedge which is shiftable to eii'ect a secondary adjustment an d coacts with the cam so that the weight of the upper strut or the combined weight of the latter and the work is applied positively to jam the lock-element into its locked position. f

One object of the invention is to provide a shore of the aforementioned type which embodies in connection with the locking mechanism a spring that is applied in such a manner that it tends to prevent accidental displacement of the wedge-member and op! crates to force the lock-element into its locked position Another object of the invention is to provide a shore of the type under consideration in which the notches that are formed in the lower strut and cooperate with the lock-element of the locking mechanism are so formed that the elementr` regardless of its positionrelatively to the lower strut, is always adapted for cooperation with one of the notches and thus insures a positive action of the locking mechanism at all times. 1

A 'further objiect of the invention is to provide a shore which is an improvement upon that exhibited in an application for Letters Patent ot the United States filed'by me February 8. 1929. Serial No. 338562. y

Other objects'oi the invention and the va- 50 rions advantages and characteristics of the 1930. Serial N0. 457,862.

In the drawings which accompany an Y form a part of this specification or disclosure and in which like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views: s Y

Figure l is a perspective of a shore em bodying ther-invention, the top part ofv the upper strut which is substantially thesame as the party that is shown, being omitted;

,FigurefQ is a vertical sectional `View of the locking mechanism, showing in detail the construction and arrangement of the spring which v'operates to prevent accidental displacement of the wedge-member and to force the element into its locked position;

Figure 3 isa sectional view similar to Figure 2,y illustrating the manner in which the lock element may be released fromr engagement (with one of the notches in the lower strutlin' .order to permit the upper strut to be raised or lowered to the desired position;

Figure 4jis a horizontal section taken on the linet-ll of Figure 2 and exhibiting the cross sectional construction of the two struts;

Figure 5 is a perspective of the lock-element g Vand v Figure Gis a perspective of the spring of the locking mechanism.`

The shore which forms the subject matter of the invention is adapted primarily for use in building construction and comprises an upper strut 6 and avlower strut 7 The upper strut is adapted lto be placed beneath the load or work, as Well understood in the art, and consists of a pair of elongatedtimbers 8.r These timbers are spaced apart laterally to form an intermediate spaceor compartment 49, andhave formed in their inner faces a pair of oppositely facing open sided longitudina-ll grooves 10. A one-piece cast metalv lock-housing 11 operates to hold the lower cndsof the timbers in spaced relation.A The lower strut 7 is preferably formed of structural steel and is Tshaped in cross section. It is elongated and consists of a web portion 12 and a flange 13. The latter is formed integrally with and projects outwardly from e5 both sides of the web portion. The bottom the compartment 9 and the side margins of.

the flange 13 are slidable in the grooves 10.

are adjustable longitudinally relatively to one another and their combined length may` be readily varied. 1 Y j.

The mechanismy for locking the struts together in any desired adjusted position is'associated with the housing 11. The lattere'in-- bodies a front wall 19, a pair of vertical andl substantially parallel sides 20 and a back wall 21, which together form an'open top and open bottom chamber 22 throughwhich the lower strut 7 extends. The yback wall 21 is joined f to the rear marginal parts of the sides 2O by a pair of U-shaped wall-inembers:23'which project outwardly of said sides. j T heseinembers 23 together with the back wall 21l form a slideway vfor the flange 13. j A pair of coplanar walls 24 are formed integrally with and extend outwardly or' laterally from the top marginal parts of the sides 20. These last mentioned walls form a supportupon which rest the lower ends of thetimbersY 8.

A three sided flange 25 projects upwardly from the side and rear edges of the walls 24 and forms a socket for the bottom end ofthe upper strut 6. The housing'11 .isv held in' connected relation with saiduppe-r strut-:by

screws 26 which extend'through the flange 25 and into the bottom ends of thetimvbers. The walls 24 and the flange 25 are so arranged relatively to the lower parts ofthe. housing that the chamber 22 is in alignment 4with the 'l compartment 9. I 1 Y j rlhe locking mechanism ycomprises ai onepiece metallic lock-element 27 which. is dis` posed in and is somewhat longer" than the chamber 22.V Said element is preferably of U-shaped conformation and 'comprises-a connecting web 2S and a pair Voflaterally spaced'v or tooth 30. lThe latter vis adapted to effect the desired'locliing of the struts in-,conjunction with a longitudinal series ofnotches'l.

in the outer marginal part of the web portion 12.

These ears are rigidly connected,

'The notches/31 are cut-or otherwise 'rm-med in the webportio'n 12 in such a manner as to form a series of flat horizontally extending abutinents 31a upon which the tooth 30 is adapted to rest. The under side of the tooth is iiattened, as at 30a, and extends horizontally so as to lap in an eicient manner theabutinentsand form an ellicient interlock between the lock-element and the lower strut. In addition to the abutments 31a, the notches 31 form upwardly inclined straight surfaces 31h. These surfaces' operate to direct the toothv 30 against the vabutments and extend so that the outer ends of the abutments are sharp and there are no flat por- By means of this arrangement the two struts l tions alongthe outer margin of the web portion y12 against which the tooth might be lodged without a vlocking laction existing between tlie lock-element and the lower strut. Byfhavingthe outer ends of the fiat horizontally extending -abutinents .31 sharp and formed in the manner set fortli,tlie lockfelement-27, regardless of its position relatively to the. lower strut7 is always adapted forA the :bottom 'edges of the housing-sides 2() to limitfupward movement of the lock-element. The shoulders 32,V like the shoulders 33, are formed integrally with the web 28. They' extend outwardly from the top part of the lock-element and tit against seats 34 to limit downward movement of said element.- Byfnieans of the limited relative longitudinal movement which is permitted by the shoulders v32 and 33, and by reason of the fact that there isf play towards and away from" the strut 7 the lock-element may be readily shifted.v as shown in Figure 3, to dislodge thetooth V30 with respect to the adjacent notch 31. In this position of the lockelement,"the struts' and 7 are free so that they may be adjusted longitudinally relatively to one another.V The aforesaid seats 34 are 4formed in the members 35 which connect the Iwalls 24 to the topmargins of the sides 20..' yTo permit the lock-element 27 to be assembled .in place7 the rear margins of the sides 20 are provided with cutaway portions or= recesses 36. The latter are of suilicient depth to accommodate the shoulders 32 and to permit the locl-elementito be shifted bodily upwards through the chamber 22 wlienthe lower strut 7is disconnected with respect to thehousing 11 and the upper strut (i. To complete the` assemblyoperation the lockelement is` shifted forwardly towards the front wall 19. 11n this position of said elenientthe shoulders 32 and 33 are operative as-stops and the lowerstrut is capable of connection to the upperstrut simply by in-v serting into place the upper parts of the web portion l2 and the ange 13. When the j struts are in connected relation the web porlock-element may be pulled or manipulated' readily into its inoperative position is formed integrally with and extends forwardly from the upper part of the connecting web 28.

This linger piece projects above the walls 24,

so that it is readily accessible. The housingsides 20 are arranged in close proximity to the legs 29 and operate through the instrumentality of the lock-element to prevent transverse movement of the housing l1 relatively to the lower strut 7.

In addition to the lock-eiement 27, the locking mechanism for the struts comprises a horizontally eritending` wedge-member 40 which is mounted in the front part of the housing 11 and is inclined upwardly toward the timbers 8. This member is provided with a flat inner face 40a which adapted to abut directly against a downwardly flared cam el. The latter is formed as an integral part of the connecting web 28 of the lock-element and has an operating face 41a which is inclined similarly to and at the same angle as the wedge-member Ll0. As a result of this arrangement of the wedge-member and cam, the weight of the upper strut G or. when the Ashore is in use, the combined weight ofthe upper strut and the work operates positively to-jam the lock-element into its operative position, it being manifest thatthe downward thrust `movement of the upper strut causes the wedge-member l0 to exert inward force @upon the lock-element due to the inclination or angle of the cooperating faces 40a and Lil, As the weight of the load or work increases the inward force tending to maintain lodgement of the tooth 3() in the adjacent notch 3l also increases with the result that there is no danger whatsoever of slippage and the resultant dire consequences. The

wed ge-meinber l() is mounted in the housing ll so that it normally engages the cam oper- `ating face eil at or about the central Vpart hereof. `When it is desired to release the lock-element 27 so that relative adjustment of the struts may be effected? the upper strut 6 is raised or shifted a small distance with respect to the lower strut. This action operates to elevate the housing ll and the member 4D relatiifely to the cani ll and results in disengagement of the faces ILO and il, as shown in Figure lVhen the aforementioneail faces are out of contact the element 2T is free so height,.and is mounted for transverse movement in a pair of oppositely facing slots or openings 44, .in the front parts of thehousingsides 2U. The outer face of the wedge-niember is longitudinally inclined or angled, relatively to the inner face 40' and is adapted to.

coact with the frontmost side'` edges lea of the slots elet to effect movement of said face 40 to and from the cam face ll in response to transverse shift of the wedge-member. rlhe aforesaid front side edges ist? of the slots le are inclined upwardly at the same angle the faces e0 and lll and are staggered or offset. with respect to each other in such a manner that the face 40a is always parallel to the faceflla during shift of the wedgemember d0. When it is desired to effect a .slight increase in the elevation of the upper strut after the initial or primary adjustnient, the said upper strut is raised by a jack or similar mechanism and the wedge-member 40 is shifted into rigid relation with respect to the lock-element and housing, or the wedge-member l() is driven to force the large end thereof toward the lock-element and into engagement with the cam face ella. In this last mentioned type of secondary adjust-` ment, the wedge-member d() is shifted bodily inwardly due to its wedge formation and consequently is caused to ride upwards on the cam face and force upwardly the lock-housing and upper strut. To lower said upper .ff-trut.l the wedge-member is driven or tapped in the reversed direction and so that the small end thereof vis adjacent the lock-element. This causes o-utward movement of the member et() and consequently the face 40 is caused to ride downwardly with respect to the cam face 41a. A foot dois formed integrally with the small end of the wedge-member 40. This foot is sulliciently large to prevent removal of the wedge-member from the lockhousing 11 while the latter and lock-element are in connected and operative relation with respect to the lower strut 7. When the foot is shifted so that it is disposed adjacent to the lock-element 27, the operating face 40EL contacts with the extreme lower end of the cam face 41a. To prevent the upper end of the lock-element from being pried or .forced outwardly into its inoperative position when the wedge-member l0 is positioned so that the foot 45 is positioned adjacent to the lockelement and the operating face 40a contacts with the cam face 4:12 a pair of ears 46' are provided. These ears are formed integrally with and depend from the bottom margins of the sides 20 and are adapted to be engaged by the shoulders 33 in such a manner that the lock-element is held against locking movement on the lower end of the connecting web 28 and consequently cannot he pried or forced away from the notches 3l.. When the upper strut and housing are raised so rie that the small end of the wedge is disconnected with respect to the cam face, the ears 4:6 are elevated out of engagement with the shoulders 33 and thus permit the lock-ele- 5` ment to be manipulated so as to dislodge the 105 trent wall 19 ot lthe housing ll and the outer tace ot the wedge-member and is under tension at all times so that it operates to force the wedge-member towards the lower strut 7. By means ot this arrangement the lockelement is urged into its locked position and consequently when the upper strut and housing ll are raised and then released there is no danger of the shore completely collapsing. The end ot the spring that engages the front tace of the wedge-member is shaped and extended laterally to form an elongated shoe 48. rlhis shoe engages the wedge-member directly and tends to prevent accidental displacement ot' the wedge-member. By positioning and arranging the spring in the manner set forth, the spring has a two-told purpose in that it operates to urge or force the lock-element into its locked position and to prevent displacement of the wedge-member. ln effecting a complete collapse or telescoping of the struts 6 and the element 2T is iirst released bv raising the housing ll and the upper strut as previousl,v7 set forth and is then shifted away from the lower strut against the force of the spring in the manner indicated in Figure 3. YWhile the lock-element is held in its unlocked position the upper strut 6 together with the housing may be lowered. TVhen the upper strut is raised or ielevated with respect to the lower strut the lock-element is automatically thrown into its inoperative position against the action of the spring Li2 by action ot' the surfaces Sib on ie tooth 3i). l.Vlien the upper strut is brought to rest after being raised to the desired height apd is then released, the spring forces the lock-element into its locked posiV ion where it is retained by the action of the wedge-member on the cam 4l.

lhe operation ot the shore is as follows: VJ hen the shore is to be put in place, as for example, beneath a floor or a form in which concrete is to be poured, the struts 6 and 7 are l relatively adjusted so that the upper strut is positioned at substantially the desired elevation. A secondary adjustment ot' the struts is then eliected by opera-ting the wedge-member 4() as previously described. After the `pou -ing operation has been completed andthe concrete has set, the shore is removed, iirst by tapping the toot 45. This torres the large ond of the wedge-member out ot engagement with the cam 4:1 ot the lock-element and rcsults in a small downward movement ot the lock-housing l1 and the upper strut. The downward movement is suthcient to permit the upper end of the strut 6 to be shifted out of engagement with the superjacent form. Thereafter the upper strut may be totally collapsed by raising it a slight distance to disengage the wedge-member Ll0 with respect to the cam and then manipulating the lock-elementso that the tooth is dislodged from the adjacent notch as previously described.

The shore which is disclosed herein is exceedingly eliicient in operation in that it may be readily adjusted and is sate for the reason that the spring 42 and the specific tooth and notch arrangement herein disclosed cause a positive action at all times ot' the locking mechanism.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope ot the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. An adjustable shore comprising` an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-member, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element confined loosely in the housing and slidable on the strut, a member arranged normally in direct engagement with the element and operable in response to downward movement of the housing and shore-member relatively to the strut to jam' the element into a locked position against the strut and adapted, when the housing and shore-member are raised, to release the element, and a spring associated with the housing and separate l'rom the member for pressing the element towards the strut and into its locked position.

2. An adjustable shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically and having a longitudinal series of abutments, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-mem'- ber, and mechanism for loc-king the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element confined loosely in the housing and slidable on the strut, said element being provided with a tooth for cooperation with the abutments, a member arranged normally in direct engagement with the element and operable in response to downward movement of the housing and shore-member relatively to the strut to jam and hold the element in a position wherei the tooth is lodged against one ot the abutments and adapted, when the housing and shore-mmeber are raised to release the element, and a spring associated with the housing and applied to the member so as to press or urge said element towards the strut and into its locked position.

3. An adjustable shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-member, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element confined loosely in the housing and slidable on the strut, said element being provided with an upwardly tapered cam, a member operable in response to downward movement of the housing and shore-,member to engage the cam and cooperate therewith to shift and hold the element into locked position against the strut,'and a spring associated with the housing and arranged to force the element into locked relation with the strut so that at all times it is in a position to be engaged by the member.'

4. An adjustable shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically and having a longitudinal series of abutments, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shoremember, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element confined loosely in the housing and slidable on the strut, said element having a tooth for cooperation with the abutments and being provided with an upwardly tapered cam, and a member operable in response to the downward movement of the housing and shore-member to engage the cam and cooperate therewith to shift and hold the element in a position wherein the tooth is lodged against one of the abutments, said member being adapted to release the element when the housing and shore-member are raised, and a spiral spring associated with the housing and arranged to force the element into locked relation with the contiguous abutment so that it is held in place for engagement by the member.

5. An adjustable shore comprising a pair of struts movable longitudinally relatively to each other, a housing' secured to one of the struts and through which the other strut is movable, and mechanism for locking the housing and the other strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element slidable on said other strut, a wedge-member movable lengthwise in the housing and adapted to jam and hold the element in locked position against the strut, and a spring associated with the housing and applied to the wedgemember so as to retard lengthwise displacement thereof.

r 6. :uijustable shore comprising an elongated strut ,adaptel to be positioned vertically, a housinglmounte'd on and movable longit'udinallyV relatively to the strut and adapted toA support thereabove a shore-member, andmechanism for locking the housing and struttogether'in adjusted relation,em bodying an element slidable on the strut, a wedge-membery movable lengthwise in the Vhousing and adapted to jam and hold the element in locked position against the strut,

and a spring associated with the housing and applied tothe wedge-member so as to retard lengthwise displacement thereof.

7. An adjustable shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned ver,-

tically, a housing mounted on and movable f longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-member, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, emi bodying an element slidable on the strut, a transversely extending wedge-member movable horizontally in the housing and operative to jam and hold the element in locked position against the strut, and a spiral springl extending between the wedge-member and the wall of the housing and adapted to form a drag to prevent accidental displacement of said wedge-member.

S. An adjustableshore comprising an elongated strutadapted to be positioned vertically, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to .the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-member, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element confined loosely in the housing and slidable on the strut, a horizontally extending wedge-member movable lengthwise and laterally in the housing andv arranged so that one side thereof engages the element and serves to jam and hold said element .in locked position against the strut, and a spring extending between the wedgemember and one wall of the housing and adapted to retard lengthwise displacement ot the wedge-member and force the element against the strut.

and provided with a tooth adapted to rest upon the abutments and to be guided by the inclined flat surfaces from one abutment directly to the other when the housing is raised,

embodying an element slidable on the strut y and a member associated with the housin and operable in response to the weight o the housing and shore-menflber to jam and hold the element in a position wherein the tooth 5 is lodged against one of the abutments. Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this-28th day V of May, 1930.

ARTHUR-H; SYMGNYS. 

